Help save The Well from becoming a restaurant!

In the last few days, it’s become apparent due to campaigning on Facebook that the future of the Well (formerly the Joseph’s Well) venue in Leeds is in doubt, thanks to plans by the owner of the Joseph’s Well office complex to turn the venue into a restaurant, which he feels would be a more profitable venture. Along with many other like minded people who want to see live music in Leeds and the UK continue to thrive, we think this is a huge mistake.

The Well is located on the fringes of Leeds city centre, a ten-to-fifteen minute walk from Leeds rail station, and isn’t ideally situated for a restaurant for starters. In a city chock full of brasseries, bars, restaurants, cafés, etc., and really doesn’t need another one located out of the way of everything else. It already serves some food in the daytime; burgers, chips, stuff like that – that’s cool. It doesn’t need to extend beyond that. There’s plenty of other places to eat if that’s not your thing.

Furthermore, Leeds is crying out for venues supporting a range of music, particularly heavier genres from the underground circuit. Yes, there’s The Cockpit, which does host the occasional heavy bash but more frequently hosts trendy indie bands. We used to have the Bassment and Subculture – they’ve been and gone. And Rio’s moved from Bradford into Leeds, and then back again. To lose another venue would be a hammerblow to the underground punk, hardcore and metal scenes; we can’t allow this to happen.

The Well has hosted live music for over 15 years and regularly hosts up and coming bands from the local scene and has hosted many a great band over the years – to name a few, Gallows, Chimaira, Necrophagist, Converge, Eyehategod, Rufio, Electric Eel Shock, Black Breath, G.U. Medicine, Weedeater, Voorhees, The Eureka Machines, Municipal Waste, plus upcoming shows from YOB, Sick of it All, Ufomammut, earthtone9, Royal Republic and more. A little known band called The Kaiser Chiefs also played there before they got their big break!

Put simply, it’s essential for The Well to stay open as a music venue, and not as somewhere to simply scoff yourself silly. Please sign the petition, wherever you are, and help convince the owner of the premises that this is just a bad idea and that live music, homegrown and from around the world, is essential, and well and truly alive.

Sign the petition here. We’ve also added a widget in the top corner. Help us spread the word.

Peter Clegg

The Well official site